Gildan shirts in bulk: a buyer's guide

Buying Gildan shirts in bulk starts with picking the line. Weight, blend and fit decide how each one decorates and wears.

Gildan names its lines by fabric. Heavy Cotton and Ultra Cotton are cotton tees at two weights. Softstyle is the ringspun cotton line. DryBlend is a 50/50 cotton-poly tee, and Performance is all polyester. In fleece, Heavy Blend is the 50/50 standard and Hammer is the heavyweight. So the question is which line fits the job and the method you run.

Which Gildan styles are in this guide?

Twelve styles, across tees and fleece:

• Gildan 5000 Heavy Cotton T-Shirt: 5.3 oz, 100% U.S. cotton, classic fit, sizes S to 5XL. The all-round cotton tee.
• Gildan 5000B Youth Heavy Cotton T-Shirt: the youth cut of the 5000 in the same cotton, sizes XS to XL.
• Gildan 5000L Women's Heavy Cotton T-Shirt: the 5000's cotton in a semi-fitted cut with cap sleeves and side seams.
• Gildan 64000 Softstyle T-Shirt: 4.5 oz ringspun cotton, modern classic fit, sizes XS to 5XL.
• Gildan 65000 Softstyle Midweight T-Shirt: 5.3 oz ringspun cotton, modern classic fit.
• Gildan 2000 Ultra Cotton T-Shirt: 6 oz, 100% U.S. cotton, classic fit.
• Gildan 2300 Ultra Cotton Pocket T-Shirt: the 6 oz Ultra Cotton tee with a left chest pocket.
• Gildan 8000 DryBlend T-Shirt: 5.5 oz, 50/50 cotton-poly.
• Gildan 42000 Performance T-Shirt: 5 oz, 100% polyester, moisture wicking, side seams.
• Gildan 18500 Heavy Blend Hooded Sweatshirt: 8 oz, 50/50 fleece, double-lined hood, pouch pocket, sizes XS to 5XL.
• Gildan 18000 Heavy Blend Crewneck Sweatshirt: the crew version of the 18500, 8 oz 50/50 with spandex in the rib.
• Gildan 19500 Hammer Maxweight Hooded Sweatshirt: 10.5 oz, 75/25 cotton-poly with a 100% cotton face.

Which Gildan tee should I start with?

Start with the Gildan 5000 unless the job pulls you somewhere else. It's 100% cotton at 5.3 oz, so screen print, discharge and DTF all work well. DTG, embroidery and vinyl work too. It runs from S to 5XL, and the youth 5000B and the women's 5000L use the same cotton. So one design can cover a whole team or school order, as long as you check the blend of each color you pick.

Step up to the Gildan 2000 when the shirt needs more body. At 6 oz it's the heaviest cotton tee here, and that extra weight is what carries a dense stitched logo. The Gildan 2300 is the same Ultra Cotton fabric with a left chest pocket. It suits a small logo up front and a big print on the back.

Softstyle is the pick for a closer fit. The Gildan 64000 is 4.5 oz ringspun cotton in a modern classic fit, and the Gildan 65000 is the midweight version. Both take DTG well, along with screen print, discharge and DTF. Gildan describes the 64000's double pique fabric as breathable and made for embroidery. If the order is mostly women, the semi-fitted 5000L is the Heavy Cotton match, and best women's-cut blanks lines up more cuts.

Does the color change the blend?

Yes, and it's the detail that saves a reprint. A Gildan tee sold as 100% cotton is cotton in most colors. Many heathers and some colors that look solid are blends:

• Gildan 5000: Dark Heather, Graphite Heather, the Heather colors, Blackberry, Lilac, Midnight, Sunset, Tweed, the neons and the safety colors are 50/50 cotton-poly. Sport Grey and the Antique colors are 90/10, and Ash is 99/1.
• Gildan 64000: Dark Heather and the Heather colors are 65/35 polyester-cotton, Graphite Heather is 50/50, and Sport Grey and the Antique colors are 90/10.
• Gildan 65000: Graphite Heather is 50/50 and Sport Grey is 90/10.
• Gildan 2000: the Heather and safety colors are 50/50, and Sport Grey and the Antique colors are 90/10.
• Gildan 8000: Heather Dark Navy, Heather Deep Royal and Heather Scarlet Red are 65/35 polyester-cotton.

Discharge needs pure cotton, so quote it only on the colors that are 100% cotton. On a poly-rich heather in a dark shade, light plastisol can pick up dye from the fabric. A low-bleed ink or a blocker base keeps the white clean. Check each color's blend on the product page first.

Gildan states that Safety Green meets ANSI/ISEA 107 high-visibility standards on the 5000, 2000, 2300, 8000, 42000, 18500 and 18000. That suits event staff and volunteers. Road work often calls for a certified safety garment with reflective tape, so check the job's requirement first.

When should I pick DryBlend or Performance?

Pick the Gildan 8000 when you want a blend that holds up. It's 5.5 oz and 50/50, and Gildan builds DryBlend with high-twist yarns that help reduce pilling and give a smoother print surface. Screen print, embroidery, DTF and vinyl all work. Because half the fiber is polyester, it isn't a discharge shirt, and a cotton tee is the better home for DTG.

The Gildan 42000 is for sublimation and team kits. It's 100% polyester, and Gildan calls it an ideal choice for sublimating. Sublimation needs a light surface, so run it on White and the lighter colors. Vinyl is just as strong, and embroidery works. The fabric wicks moisture, resists snags and controls odor. On dark and heather colors, white plastisol can read warm, so pair it with a poly blocker underbase. Leave DTG and discharge for the cotton tees. For more poly and cotton options side by side, see the premium t-shirts guide.

Which Gildan hoodies and crews hold a logo best?

For most bulk fleece, start with the Heavy Blend pair. The Gildan 18500 hoodie and the Gildan 18000 crew are both 8 oz, 50/50 cotton-poly, in a classic fit. Gildan gives Heavy Blend a finer face yarn for a smoother printing surface and less pilling. Embroidery is their strongest method, since 8 oz fleece holds a stitched logo firmly. Screen print, DTF and vinyl work too.

Plan the ink around the polyester. These are 50/50, and the darker heathers, such as Heather Dark Navy and Heather Scarlet Red, are 60/40 polyester. Light inks on those colors can pick up dye, so a blocker base helps. Discharge belongs on cotton, not here. The core hoodies guide compares the 18500 with other value hoodies, and the crewneck sweatshirt guide does the same for crews.

The Gildan 19500 Hammer is the heavyweight. At 10.5 oz it's about a third heavier than Heavy Blend, the heft buyers mean by a heavyweight hoodie. It's 75/25 cotton-poly, but the face is 100% cotton, and Gildan calls it ideal for cotton-friendly decoration. That opens up DTG, and discharge is worth a test print on the cotton face. Embroidery suits it best. Two colors differ: Sport Grey is 70/30 and Safety Orange is 50/50.

Will Gildan blanks shrink?

Wash and dry one sample of each style you're ordering, then measure it before you lock sizes. It costs one shirt and catches fit surprises early.

Garment dyers have one Gildan built for them. The Gildan 2000 in PFD White is 100% cotton sewn with cotton thread, with no optical brighteners, so dye takes more evenly. Gildan also cuts it with longer body and sleeves to allow for shrinkage.

Across these lines, Gildan states the styles meet OEKO-TEX Standard 100. The cotton lines contain U.S.-grown BCI cotton.

Which Gildan style fits which job?

• Giveaway, event or school spirit tee → Gildan 5000, with the 5000B for kids
• Women's cut that matches a 5000 order → Gildan 5000L
• DTG or a closer modern fit → Gildan 64000 or 65000
• Embroidered work tee → Gildan 2000
• Pocket logo with a back print → Gildan 2300
• Durable blend for screen print → Gildan 8000
• Sublimated team or run club shirt → Gildan 42000
• Embroidered program hoodie → Gildan 18500
• Embroidered crew → Gildan 18000
• Heavyweight retail hoodie → Gildan 19500

If you embroider most of what you sell, the best blanks for embroidery guide goes deeper on which fabrics hold stitching.

Which one would we order first?

Our pick is the Gildan 5000. It's 100% cotton, so nearly every press method works on it. It comes in adult sizes up to 5XL, with a youth 5000B and a women's 5000L in the same cotton. For a bulk order that covers everyone with one design, it's where we'd start.